


Happiness Found After Revelations

by GrimSylphie



Series: Finding Happiness [12]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Drama, Fights, M/M, Team as Family, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:20:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26365582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrimSylphie/pseuds/GrimSylphie
Summary: When Andy and Quynh return after several years on their own. While the team is happy they return, it also leads to their secret being revealed in the one way Booker never wanted to see it happen.
Relationships: Booker | Sebastien le Livre/Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolo di Genova, Minor Andy | Andromache is Scythia/Quynh | Noriko
Series: Finding Happiness [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875796
Comments: 10
Kudos: 159





	1. The Return

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is divided into three chapters (well, 2.5) but I wrote them all at once because I felt like it fit best like this.

André is seventeen when the whole truth comes out. Booker had hoped to wait a year or two longer. Hell, he had planned on telling André before he had the opportunity to witness it first hand but in the end things did not work out in his favor. Though, they rarely did when the whole family was together.

Quynh and Andy returned on a Friday. It would have been a normal day, had it not coincided with the end of the school term. Rather than the usual date night, they were celebrating André getting top marks in his class. That meant he and his lovers had taken off early for cooking and decorating. They had just finished up and decided to sit and have a glass of freshly squeezed mango-passion fruit juice while they waited. André still had school for another two hours. Nile on the other hand, was expected in the next few minutes, at least based on the ETA of her last text. 

Nile was returning from a mission with Andy and Quynh half way around the world. They half expected she would ditch to pass out but she said she had promised André before she left and would be sure to follow through.

A knock came from the door and Booker stood to answer it. As expected it was Nile when he looked through the peep hole. He opened the door eager to greet his little sister. “How was it? We missed you.” He offered once the door was open before pulling her into a tight hug and offering kisses to each of her cheeks. 

Nile laughed, amused by the warm greeting. “I missed you too Book! It was good. I even brought you a gift.” With that she moved to the side so he could see Andy  
and Quynh. 

He found that he couldn’t help but smile when he saw them and he was quick to pull them both in for a big hug. When he pulled back he took note of their appearances. Andy has aged a bit. Her hair was still the same color and though he’d never admit it to her, he was certain that was because of dye. Her skin however had faint lines marking it including dabbles of crow’s feet around her eyes and a well healed scar along her cheek. Quynh looked much the same as she always had. In fact if it hadn’t been for a scar on her wrist that he noticed when she pulled away from his hug he would have thought nothing changed at all. His eyes certainly betrayed the fact that he noticed because Quynh pat him on the arm and said “It’s good to see you little brother.” In a way that he knew meant he was to say nothing.

“And you as well, come in, come in.” He replied stepping aside.

Nicky and Joe had walked into the living room to see what had taken so long and smiled brightly when they laid eyes on the most important women in their lives. He stepped aside so Nicky and Joe could have their reunions. 

It was interesting to watch. With Nile it was quick hugs and friendly kisses just as it was every time she returned. With Andy the hugs were long and full of feelings they’d never say. Andy had been their leader and guide for almost their entire immortal lives and they had been frightened they would never see her again when she ran off with Quynh. It was different for Booker who always had a team and who knew from their past mistakes that immortality did not make one invulnerable. It was a lesson Joe and Nicky learned the hard way when Quynh was lost to them. He watched as they whispered in Andy’s ear in ancient languages lost to time.

When they finally released Andy and turned to Quynh it was as if something had sucked all the warmth out of the room. Nicky and Joe looked at the petite woman for the first time in roughly five hundred years with a combination of joy, guilt, and love. This was their lost sister and they had missed her. Quynh looked at them with a barely concealed rage. It was a look he had seen many times. He was lucky that it had never been directed at him but to see it directed at Nicky and Joe was like a punch in the gut. The family reunion Booker had once hoped for was not going to be a good one.

“Quynh, it’s good to see you. We’ve missed you.” Joe offered. His voice was tense. Booker could see that he was fully aware of the danger he and Nicky were in.

“Is it Yusuf?” Quynh asked, her voice flat. “You had plenty of opportunity to visit Andromache and me and yet you remained here and defiled my sweet little brother. The same brother you left for dead, just as you left me to die.”

Nile stepped between them. “Really, Quynh. I didn’t invite you guys to come back just for you to fight.”

“We did not intend to leave Sebastien for dead. We failed him, in many ways and we will have to spend eternity making that up to him but that is for the three of us to work out.” Nicky explained, stepping forward to defend himself and Joe.

“But you meant to leave me? Was my relationship with Andromache not as important or as worthy of trying to preserve as yours?” Quynh shouted. 

“That’s not why we left!” Joe argued, raising his voice. “It’s not like we stopped looking. We just stopped going out ourselves. We had salvage ships out on the water until Andy called saying she found you.” 

“We couldn’t keep our lives on hold when we might never be able find you. There were people we could help but you we’re not one of them, I’m sorry. We’re sorry. We weren’t willing to lose our sanity and Andy’s diving in water so deep we couldn’t see and blindly feelings around for something we hoped would be there.” Nicky added.

Booker found himself looking to Andy in the hopes that maybe she would say something or step in but she remained passive. Whatever this was she was not willing to interfere. 

“Those are excuses and I will not hear more of them. You will both fight me. I will not be satisfied until you pay for your actions with blood.” Quynh challenged.

“Are you kidding me?!” Nile shouted. 

“Why would I be joking, baby sister?” Quynh retorted, her body already poised to strike.

“She did the same to me. She won’t be satisfied until she beats the shit out of you.” Andy explained.

“You know what, fine.” Joe replied, throwing his hands up on the air. He walked over to the wall where his scimitar and Nicky’s two handed blade were hung alongside one of Booker’s favorite knives. They had moved them to act as display pieces two years prior once they felt that André was old enough that he wouldn’t mess with them

“You aren’t doing this in here. We spent way too much time getting the house the way we wanted it. I’m not interested in cleaning up blood today.” Booker found himself saying. “If you want to do this, we’ll do it out in the back garden. It’s not a huge space but there should be enough privacy.”

Joe, Nicky, and Quynh all nodded. Nile crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Andy stood there impassively. He led them all out the side door that went down to a communal garden space that wasn’t visible from the street. Fortunately, he knew that what few neighbors he had would still be at work. 

When they reached the bottom, he led Andy and Nile to the side where they wouldn’t be in the way. Joe and Nicky stood across from Quynh and tested the weight and sharpness of their blades. While they hadn’t been used recently they performed regular maintenance and kept them in peak condition. 

“Are we going one on one or did you wish to fight us both at once?” Nicky asked, eyeing Quynh’s blade. 

“I will face you both. After all, you haven’t drawn your weapons  
in over ten years. It’s the only way you might have a chance.” She taunted.

Nicky and Joe glanced at each other before looking at Quynh. They seemed to have decided to not take her insult to heart. “What is the limit? First blood? Or do you really intend to kill us?” 

“Yes, we stop at death.” Quynh said with a smirk. 

Booker looked over at Andy and saw she bit her lip to keep from saying anything. 

“Fine. Nile will you call it?” Joe asked. 

Nile stepped forward with a nod. She walked until she reached the middle of the yard and stood halfway between them. Quynh hadn’t yet drawn her blade. She stood casually and looked at her nails as if she was bored. Every thing she did was to piss Nicky and Joe off. For their part, Nicky and Joe stood primed, each of them taking the long practiced positions they used with battling with only blades. Joe in front and leaned down low, while Nicky stood back, his head tall.

“And start!” Nile called, pulling Booker from his observations as the battle began.

Quynh moved first, lighting quick with her thin blade. She pushed forward in an effort to pierce Joe’s side but he managed to block with the flat of his blade. He ducked, allowing Nicky to use the extended reach of his blade to slash at Quynh. She was faster, she flipped out of reach of the blade. 

Now back on even footing Joe and Nicky moved to attack. Joe went first, moving fast and forcing Quynh on the defense. Nicky used her distraction to his advantage and was able to skim her calf with the edge of his blade. 

Quynh hissed and stepped back. She touched a hand to her leg to wipe away the blood. She looked at it with disgust. Joe and Nicky used that time to catch their breath instead of pressing the advantage. Booker could see the moment that Nicky’s eyes widened and he noticed Quynh wasn’t healing as she should. Based on the frown on Joe’s face he had noticed too.

Quynh seemed to realize they had seen because she struck out at them with a flurry of blows that Nicky and Joe could barely raise their blades to defend against. When they tried to step back she was on them, faster and more agile than they could hope to be. 

Nicky and Joe were soon backed against the wall. They were both bleeding. Joe had several bloody spots up and down his arms from where cuts opened and then closed where he failed to get his blade up in time. Nicky had one cut along his cheek that dripped slowly even as it healed.

Quynh let out a mighty roar and stabbed through Nicky’s shoulder with her blade. “You will fight properly.” She shouted before pulling it from Nicky’s body and backing away to the center where she took up a defensive stance once more. Nicky winced as the wound healed, a few large drops of blood hitting the ground. 

Booker found himself looking to Andy. “What the hell is this Andy? Does she want them kill her?”

“Of course not, Booker.” Andy replied, not even turning away from the battle to look at him. “She’s been pissed at them for years. I think she blames them for not coming for us in time and for your exile. She knows it’s not their fault, at least not for the most part but she’s been holding onto this for too long and she wants to be the shit out of them in a fair fight while she’s still able.”

He frowned. He got what Andy was saying. Knowing Quynh, his fierce, passionate protector and her ability to hold grudges (she once ate every sweet that he tried to come in contact with for an entire year all because he ate the last macaron) he knew this wouldn’t be settled until Nicky and Joe were both dead or dying.

He turned back to the battle and found Joe had managed to make some headway. He always did when someone got through his defenses to reach Nicky. He wasn’t angry, not in this case, but he fought with more passion as if to make up for his previous mistakes. For a second he thought Joe might have Quynh pinned but she managed to slip away by sliding between his legs to attack at Nicky. 

Watching Nicky fight Quynh was very different from watching Joe fight her. He was patient and precise. Andy once explained that while many would wield blades like Nicky’s as if they were sharp bludgeons someone skilled could use it defensively. They could keep the enemy back until their enemy tired themselves out. Then they could strike properly using an abundance of forced. Quynh knew of Nicky’s skill however so she darted and dodged trying to cut through Nicky’s defenses before he could block. Their styles opposed one another well and neither seemed to have an edge. 

When Yusuf jumped back into the battle the flow changed again, all taking small injuries though Joe and Nicky’s healed almost immediately after they were made. The fact was, he was familiar with watching his lovers in battle, they were working hard. They were struggling to gain an advantage while simultaneously avoiding making a deadly blow. Quynh on the other hand was playing with them. 

This constant struggle was expected when those battling had thousands of years of experience between them. Especially when they understood each other’s battle style the way Quynh and his lovers did. 

Eventually it seemed that Quynh had grown tired of playing with her prey. She started by picking up the pace of the battle. She loosened her stance to provide herself with an ease of motion but countered that by moving too quickly for Joe and Nicky to make use of any opening Quynh left them. Joe and Nicky were impressive as always. They could predict each other’s movements in a way that he hoped he could do one day as well. Quynh struck out at Joe first. She managed to get behind him and slit his throat before Nicky could stop her. 

Joe went down hard and Booker saw Nile grip her neck. He knew she fled the phantom pain of her first death. He couldn’t say he didn’t feel much different. Fortunately, hanging wasn’t a common method of death these days.

With Joe down Nicky went into a sort of calm rage. He continued to defend and even managed to get a few attacks in. Eventually he hit Quynh’s arm with such force that a crack was heard. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the arm that held her weapon. 

Booker wasn’t sure how exactly Quynh was still standing, much less running circles around Nicky. She seemed to find an opening in his defenses because she stabbed her blade straight through Nicky’s eye and into his brain. 

Before Booker could even rush towards his lovers he heard a cry. This one far more pleading and desperate. It was a cry he knew all to well. It was the cry of his son, André.


	2. The Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter when André finds out the truth is finally here.

“Babbo! Baba!” The shriek broke through the now quiet garden. 

Booker turned and saw his son collapsed on his knees. His hand still on the doorknob as he cried for his parents. Immediately he jumped into action. 

“Andromache! You and Quynh will take the guest house. You will not return until I contact you.” Andy nodded, a slight look of guilt on her face. “Nile.” He continued, addressing the youngest member. “Can you take care of Nicky and Joe. Please make sure they get into clean clothes.” He saw that Joe’s fingers were starting to twitch, a sure sign life was returning. Nile nodded and went to Nicky, whose recovery was sure to be slower.

He walked over and picked André up and carried him into the house. His son erupted into tears. Booker couldn’t fault him for that. He surely believed two of his parents had just been killed in front of him. He brought André to the master bedroom and sat him on the bed. Then he went to retrieve tissues and a box that held photos he had found of their family through the ages.

“André. André. It’s okay. It’s all right. They’ll be fine. They just need to heal.” He comforted. It was an easy enough place to start. André knew that they had healing abilities beyond that of normal humans.

“Papa, she killed babbo! He can’t heal if he’s dead. There’s no way he could survive what she did to him.” André argued while wiping tears from his eyes. 

Ah. His son was far too logical for something he could not explain. “André, he will be fine. He did die, yes but he will heal. It just takes time. He should be well in time for dinner.”

André paused. His face was impassive and then there was a slight tinge of confusion. “Papa, are you trying to say we can’t die.”

Booker winced at that. He couldn’t say that for certain though he hoped. “We absolutely can die. I cannot even say for sure that you will heal if you die. I can say that your dads and I do heal from death.”

“But that sounds crazy. Any death? Papa that can’t be.” André argued, unconvinced. 

“André, I assure you it can. I have evidence. Photos. Pictures taken of us during ages past.” He responded. He opened the box and pulled out two photos. The first featured him with Nicky, Joe, and Andy wearing the uniforms of the union army during the civil war back in the United States. The second was a dull color photo of them at some party back in the early 1940s celebrating the liberation of a city. Booker couldn’t quite recall which one. 

André looked at the photos, examining them for any traces that it might not truly be them. When he couldn’t find any he placed his hand on the pictures and ran his hand down them in shock. “Papa, when you said you were a solider. I didn’t realize. You don’t die and you don’t age. I just don’t understand. How does this happen? How can this be real?”

Booker sighed, trying to figure out the best way to explain it. “Honestly, I don’t understand it either. We’ve never truly figured it out. What we know is that all of us, Aunt Andy, Aunt Quynh, Aunt Nile, Babbo, Baba, and I all died at one point or another and woke up again. For me, it was during the Napoleonic Wars, on the Russian front but all of us were different and I am certain they will tell you all about what happened. Once we wake up we no longer age and we heal from all wounds, even ones that cause death. We remain like that for years, centuries, even millennia, until one day we don’t and time starts again. There is no consistency to it that we’ve found.” 

“So I might be like that too? Because I heal?” André asked confused.

“Honestly, we have no idea. I fear finding out. I don’t want to risk losing you. You were born with the ability to heal. You’re the first child born from immortals so we don’t really know what that means.” Booker admitted. 

“Immortals? Was my mother immortal too?” André asked.

Booker looked down and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I.. uh....” he remembered he put the surviving documents regarding the experiments that had led to Andre’s birth. He dug around in an effort to find them. “I suppose it’s easiest to say that I am your mother.” He admitted while trying to find the paperwork.

“What do you mean?” André asked.

“A lot of things happened just after Nile became immortal in 2019. I made some mistakes that led to a break up with Babbo and Baba. They had been caught by a pharmaceutical company that wanted to perform experiments on them to discover the secret to our healing and immortality. They took samples of everything.” He sighed trying to keep it together to explain it. “Soon after, I was captured by them and when they couldn’t find the secrets of immortality from me, they decided to use my immortality against me. They modified my body to bear a child. So what I’m saying is, I’m more accurately your mother, but I never wanted you to feel confused or isolated by that knowledge.” he admitted.

André nodded. His brain seemed to be overloaded. “So who is my father? Is it baba? or babbo? I mean, I’m always told I have babbo’s eyes and baba’s ears and curls. Unless it’s someone else? A donor?”

Booker laughed. “No, no, you guessed correctly. As best we can tell it was both. That’s due to a weird quirk in biology. It happens in roughly one percent of pregnancies, though not normally with multiple men. They’re usually not viable but our healing seemed to make it work.” He shrugged. 

“Oh.” André smiled, for the first time that Booker had seen since that morning. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Both of them turned to see Joe peek his head in the room, totally unharmed as Booker had promised.

“Hey, André. I’m sorry if I freaked you out back there. We’re okay. Nile’s just finishing bandaging Nicky up while his wounds finish healing.” Joe explained with a little guilt on his face. 

André looked up at Joe with tears in his eyes. “It’s okay, baba. It’s not your fault.” He smiled a bit. “I mean you, papa, and babbo could have told me about your immortality sooner but I’m just glad you aren’t hurt.” He looked down. “Why exactly was your scimitar down and was that Aunt Quynh who killed you?”

“Uhh...” Joe answered ineloquently in an effort to stall. 

“Why don’t we head out into the other room so we can discuss this with babbo present as well.” Booker answered before standing up. He offered his hand to André who took it and pulled his son up with him. 

They headed into the living room where Nile had just finished wrapping a bandage around Nicky’s head as a makeshift eyepatch. The area that was visible was red and bruised but he was otherwise healed. “Ah, André, I’m so sorry we ruined the celebration. This was supposed to be a happy day. You did wonderful in school once again.” Nicky offered.

“I’m going to leave and let you guys discuss it. I’d love to get dinner with you later or reschedule. I want to catch up and give you the post cards I found.” Nile offered before heading out the door.

Once the door shut behind Nile André pulled Nicky and Joe in for hugs before sitting down next to Nicky, his shoulders touching his babbo’s. “Are you both feeling better now?” he asked, concern for his parents written across his face. Upon receiving a smile from babbo and a nod from baba he continued. “Why did you have your swords with you, and why did Aunt Quynh kill you?” 

“Quynh challenges us to a duel.” Joe answered at the same time that Nicky replied. “Aunt Quynh felt we had done her and your papa wrong.”

“And you just said yes?” André asked. “It still hurts when you’re injured and papa said you might die for a real one day. Why would you agree to fight her?”

“Aunt Quynh is a complex individual. She swore herself as my protector when she rescued me from the lab that had taken me. She takes that role very seriously. She believes that the actions that led to my separation from your fathers did not justify their failure to ensure my safety. I disagree and have discussed this with them more than once.” Booker explained.

“More than that, she had suffered. She was trapped in an inescapable cage and thrown out to sea. We couldn’t find her for nearly five hundred years. We failed to find her and a part of her blames us for our inability to do so.” Joe continued. 

“So you just let her kill you?” André asked incredulously. “Generally people talk things out or just agree to never see each other again instead of resorting to that level of violence.”

“You are right, of course. Nicky smiled at André. “We should work on that but Quynh left us at a time when killing someone who wronged you was less frowned upon. Dying once was a far easier way to gain forgiveness as it was the only one she would readily accept.”

André still seemed to be looking at his fathers in disbelief. “Seriously? If you haven’t wronged her than what does it matter.”

“Ehhh...” Joe shrugged. “We played a part in both those things. While they’re more complicated than one party being totally at fault she was hurt and it is only right of us to fix it.”

“You’re both insane. Perhaps time has pickled your brains.” André deadpanned. Booker laughed. He wasn’t sure when exactly his son had become so outspoken and confident especially, when dressing down his parents but he found it charming. Especially now, after taking such a shock. He was proud his son was taking things in stride. 

“Speaking of old. When were you born?” André asked. The question pulled Booker from his thoughts.

“1770. I was a child during the revolution.” Booker answered before smirking at the look on Nicky and Joe’s faces.

“By today’s calendar?” Joe asked nervously. “I can’t quite recall.”

Nicky laughed. “Liar. We were born in 1066 and 1069. Baba is older.”

André’s eyes looked like saucers. “Does that mean you guys are cradle robbers? Wait, how did you all really meet?” 

Booker found himself laughing once more as his son’s insatiable curiosity was rekindled. They spent the night discussing their past and for the first time hearing Nicky and Joe talk about their deaths at one another’s hands and how they were star crossed lovers didn’t hurt, if only because afterwards they spoke about how they found the most beautiful feral Frenchman in the cold of Russia without food, shelter, or warmth and knew then he would be theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He takes it surprisingly well but I’m certain he will be freaking out when the weight of the truth finally hits him. For now he’s just happy that his dads are okay!


	3. Coda: Quynh and Booker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like the first two chapters were a bit inconsistent with regards to how I characterized Quynh compared to the early parts of this series. I could write a lot of inconsistent drivel on how I see Quynh giving the limited information from the movies and the first part of the comics but for the purposes of this story I see Quynh as just barely concealing her crazy by avoiding it with battle and Andy. I think she grew to adore Booker during their first few years together but she’s suspicious that Andy only stopped looking because she felt responsible for Nicky and Joe or because they asked her to leave. I also think they never stopped looking so much as stopped being as hands on because they couldn’t get their hopes up.

Booker goes to the guest house nearly a week after the fight she had with Nicky and Joe. He feels like he owes her that. She had been his protector for just a few short years but she always checked in even after she left. Everything she had done up until a few days ago made him feel safe. He knew she wasn’t the same woman he had heard stories about, the same woman from before the water, but she was the one who was there for him when no one else was. She didn’t have to be and yet she was. That was something he could not forget. 

He knocked on the door on the off chance they were having sex. He had walked in on both of them separately in the past, it was part of the problem with living in close quarters but generally he tried to avoid when possible. 

Andy answered the door a smirk on her face. “Six days, Book? I didn’t know you had it in you to hold a grudge for so long.”

He returned her smirk with a side eye. “I’ll have you know I’m still holding a grudge against Napoleon. Quynh doesn’t deserve that treatment though. It simply took me six days to comfort my son and explain immortality after she killed his other parents in front of him.”

“You know she didn’t mean to do it in front of the squirt. She actually seems pretty fond of him despite barely seeing him.” Andy countered turning around to lead him into the guest house Quynh had purchased so many years before. 

“I would hope so considering she cut him out of me on the kitchen table.” Booker replied with a laugh. 

Before Andy could say another word Quynh rushed over to them, vaulting over the couch to reach them. “Booker! You came to visit!” She exclaimed pulling him into a hug. He returned it enthusiastically.

“Of course. I missed you. I’m pissed you killed Nicky and Joe in front of our son but that’s partly on me, I knew when he was supposed to get home.” Booker admitted.

“Don’t blame yourself.” Andy said with a laugh. “It’s not your fault she’s ‘messy’ as Nile would say.”

Quynh nodded. “Yes, I am sorry about that. I don’t want to alienate you or my sweet nephew.”

“Why did you come back now?” He found himself asking. He usually was fine to placate Quynh and let her work her way to the point in her own time but he wanted to know why she felt it so necessary to come and kill his lovers over minor infractions when she had known where they were for years.

“Andromache and I are getting up in years, you know?” She answered wiggling her eyebrows and taking Andy’s hand. “I wanted to make sure I knocked some sense into those boys while I still could. They need know there will be consequences if they don’t treat you right. Besides, I bet you haven’t taught my cute nephew anything about how to kill presumptuous men.” 

He looked over to Andy who just shook her head. “Listen, Quynh, I appreciate your trying to defend me but I’ve told you before that I’m fine. Nicky and Joe are wonderful to me. We all realized we made mistakes in the past but we’ve worked really hard on our communication and even worked with a counselor a few times to make sure there wasn’t more we could be doing.” He explained, somewhat exasperated. “And honestly, André probably doesn’t trust you since you left and never came back. He knows enough self defense to protect himself and hasn’t shown interest in the type of fighting you would teach him.” 

Quynh pouted at him. She wasn’t a fan of change, not that he blamed her given how the world changed without her in it. Therefore it was unsurprising that she was upset that he didn’t agree with her opinions the way he once might have. 

“Why are you really here?” He asked, directing his question towards Andy.

“Quynh wasn’t lying when she said we were getting old, Book. It’s been more than 20 years since I stopped healing. Every day I wake up sore and my reaction times are slowing to the point where I’m becoming a detriment in battle. Old age isn’t anything like what we used to dream of.” Andy explained. “I always thought I’d go out in a blaze of glory. I’m not the domestic type after all. Instead I’ve hung on for this long and I find, given the prospect of another twenty or thirty years with Quynh I actually want them to be happy, in a real home. The thing I missed most about being on the road is my family.”

“We’ve always been here, waiting for your triumphant return.” He countered.

“I know. Finding what Quynh and I had lost was more important.” She explained.

“Did you find it?” He asked.

“It’s not the same as it was but maybe it’s better.” She offered.

“And what about you, how long have you been mortal? Was it just a fluke?” He asked, turning to Quynh.

“Six months, maybe?” Quynh smiled. “That’s part of why we brought Nile along for the last one. We needed a new meat shield since I couldn’t jump in the way of bullets for Andy anymore.” She laughed when he looked at her with a little disappointment over her Nile comment. “It was just luck though. I wanted to live and die with Andy and I deserved too after losing so much because of this damned inability to die. I was so pleased when I stopped healing. Now I can be the hot younger woman and Andy can be the cougar.” 

He found himself laughing at that. “Oh my! I’m glad you’re sticking around so I can see that.”

“So we’re good, little brother?” Quynh asked, her face barely showing the slight concern.

“We are, on a personal level. You won’t be invited around much until André forgives you. Same with Nicky and Joe though they might be a bit easier to convince.” He explained sternly. 

“It’s a start.” Andy offered, giving Quynh a small smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part is a wrap. This series has a lack of Andy sadly, maybe I’ll go back and write more Andy bits in another part. For now I have a vision of one more story for this verse so look out for that soon.


End file.
